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Internet Goes Berserk Over Dystopian Game for Citizenship, As Department of Homeland Security Shuts Down Rumors

  • May 17, 2025
  • 3 minute read
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Reality television has come a long way from singing contests and culinary showdowns. These days, viewers are tuning in for everything from couples marrying strangers to billionaires tossing people into obstacle courses. At this point, if someone pitched a show about arm-wrestling for a condo lease, networks might just say yes. So when whispers of a government-backed citizenship competition began circulating, the idea did not seem completely off-script.

Social media users reacted as if someone had proposed turning The Handmaid’s Tale

into a sitcom. Reports claimed the United States Department of Homeland Security was reviewing a pitch for a reality series where immigrants would compete for citizenship. Outrage rolled in fast, with fans calling it dystopian and insensitive. The Department has since dismissed the claims, but not before public opinion spiraled into full-blown internet fury.

According to the reports, The American

would feature a lineup of hopeful immigrants facing challenges designed to reflect U.S. values, think teamwork, perseverance, and possibly a trivia round about the Founding Fathers. Producer Rob Worsoff described it as a feel-good celebration of the immigrant journey, not a parody of it. Still, audiences struggled to separate patriotism from prime-time packaging, especially when citizenship was presented as a prize somewhere between immunity idol and final rose.

Read More: 10 Amazing Reality Shows Like ‘Million Dollar Secret’ to Watch on Netflix, While You Wait For The Real Deal

The internet struggled to separate heartfelt patriotism from prime-time drama as the idea of citizenship became a televised competition.

Fans react with humor and horror to the citizenship challenge rumor

When the rumor first surfaced that the Department of Homeland Security might turn immigration into a reality show competition, the internet collectively gasped and reached for The Hunger Games

. The idea of immigrants battling through challenges for citizenship felt less like entertainment and more like a dystopian fever dream. Social media exploded with comparisons to gladiators, survival trials, and even reality shows gone wildly off the rails.

Amid the disbelief, many users chose humor as their weapon. Memes popped up faster than contestants in a challenge, with jokes about citizenship becoming the new immunity idol or contestants needing survival skills just to pass a naturalization test. The internet’s ability to poke fun at almost anything made the absurd news easier to digest, turning it into a shared comedy sketch rather than a cause for despair.

Despite the chaos, the buzz around the rumored show has sparked a surprising craving for reality programs with a gentler touch that make you feel good

. After all, viewers are hungry for shows that uplift rather than stress. Whether or not The American

ever makes it to air, the internet’s reaction reminds us that some concepts might be better left untelevised, and that good entertainment does not always need to come with citizenship on the line.

Read More: A ‘Monopoly’ Reality Series on Netflix? Here’s All You Need to Know About the Game Show

What is your take on this citizenship reality show idea? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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